Building structure



Nov. 18, 1941. A. .1. FISHER 2,263,417

BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed March 1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jag; 2

INVENTOR. Hrihur J Fisher A TTORNEYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N h M Nov. 18, 1941. A. J. FISHER BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed March 1, 1941 Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING STRUCTURE Arthur J. Fisher, Sacramento, Calif.

Application March 1, 1941, Serial No. 381,291

5 Claims.

This invention relates to building structures, and particularly to one story buildings of a type especially adapted and designed for service stations, roadside lunch rooms, etc. Also, the invention particularly relates to the roof supporting construction of a one room building whose exterior wall is of substantially circular or symmetric multi-sided form, and in which the roof overhangs the exterior wall for a considerable distance in symmetrical relation therewith so as to permit motor vehicles to drive immediately adjacent the building on all sides thereof and to be then covered by the roof. Sucha building is shown in my design Patent 127,439 in which the radial extent of the roof overhang is greater than the radial extent of the building enclosure in itself.

With the ordinary roof construction and mounting methods, it is necessary to support the roof by posts, either outwardly of the building enclosure or interiorly of the same, in addition to the support afforded by the exterior walls, since the roof beams tend to lift at their inner end or at the center of the building on account of the relatively great weight disposed radially out from the same. The use of exterior posts of course interferes seriously with the freedom of movement of cars, while the interior posts interfere with the desired freedom of movement within the building.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a roof mounting and supporting arrangement for a building of this character including radiating roof beams so connected that the beams form a rigid unit from one edge of the roof to the other at all points in the extent of the structure, without the use of any depending supports for the beams or roof other than at the exterior wall of the building enclosure, and the natural tendency of the beams to lift at their inner end is positively counteracted.

Another object is to arrange the roof so that all rain water will flow to the center of the roof, and to provide a simple means to catch and drain such water off the roof.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan of my improved roof structure, partly broken away and in section.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the central beam supporting unit, half in section.

Figure 3 is a radial section of the roof structure.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the roof structure comprises a plurality of I beams I radiating from a common center in equally diverging relation, but terminating short of said common central point. Each beam is supported intermediate its ends from the floor by a post 2, the row of posts outlining the contour of the building enclosure and forming the supports for the exterior wall sections 3, as exemplified in said copending design application.

At their inner end or at their point of convergence, all the beams are rigidly connected or supported by a central rigid and initially separate unit. This unit comprises upper and lower plates 4, whose spacing between their outer surfaces is equal to the spacing between the inner faces of the flanges I a of the beams I. These plates are rigidly connected by a central tubular member 5 disposed therebetween, the plates radiating out from said member a considerable distance and having a slight upward slope, as clearly shown. The plates 4 are provided with radial slots 6 extending from their outer edge to a point adjacent the member 5, forward slots being of suflicient width to receive the webs lb of the beams I. The flanges Ia of the beams where they overlap the plates 4 are then welded thereto, as at I.

The beams I are therefore rigidly tied together centrally connecting unit so that they cannot have any vertical deflection at the center, even though the overhanging beams radiate outwardly from the building posts 2 a greater distance than the radial distance from the connecting unit to said posts. No floor supported posts other than said posts 2 are therefore necessary within or exteriorly of the building enclosure.

Roofing slabs 8 of suitable material are supported on the beams I, said slabs being covered by a suitable continuous composition roofing 9. The slabs and roofing terminate short of the center of the central connecting unit, as shown in Fig. 4, and since the beams and consequently the roofing are disposed with a downward slope toward the center from all points in the peinto the central sump l formed above the upper plate 4. A pipe elbow ll open to the sump is connected to said upper plate 4 and depends into the member 5. A drain pipe I2 leads radially from the elbow between adjacent beams I to the outside of the building enclosure and discharges into a suitable down spout l3 as shown in Fig. 3. The depth of beams l relative to their slope is such that the drain pipe may be set with a downward slope from the elbow without projecting below the bottom level of beams inside the building.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a structure as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A building structure comprising a plurality of substantially horizontal roof supporting beams disposed in radiating relation from a common center, a supporting post depending from each beam, a central unit rigid with and tying all the beams together at their inner end, fiat roofing supported on and above the beams, said roofing sloping down to the central unit from all directions, a sump at said unit into which water from the roofing may flow and a drain pipe leading from the sump on a downward slope below the roofing but above the lower edge of the beams and between adjacent beams to a termination outwardly of the supporting posts.

2. A building structure comprising a plurality of substantially horizontal roof supporting beams disposed in radiating relation from a common central point but terminating short of said point, a supporting post depending from each beam intermediate its ends, said beams being of I section with their webs set vertically, a central unit -riphery of the roof, all rain water thereon drains comprising a pair of centrally connected plates spaced apart vertically between their opposed faces a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the adjacent faces of the flanges of the beams, said plates being slotted from their outer edge in outwardly radiating relation to said central point to receive the beam webs, and welding securing the plates to the portion of the beam flanges overlapping the same.

3. A building structure comprising a plurality of substantially horizontal roof supporting beams disposed in radiating relation from a common central point but terminating short of said point, a supporting post depending from each beam intermediate its ends, said beams being of I section with their webs set vertically, a central unit comprising a pair of centrally connected plates spaced apart to fit between the flanges of the beams, a centrally disposed member between and rigidly connected to the plates, the plates projecting laterally out in all directions from said member, the projecting portions of the plates having slots cut therein radial with said central point and open to the rim of the plates to receive the adjacent portion of the beam webs, and means rigidly securing the plates and the adjacent overlapping portions of the beam flanges.

4. A structure as in claim 3 in which the plates are disposed with an upward slope in all directions relative to said central point whereby the beams are disposed with a similar slope.

5. A building structure comprising a plurality of substantially horizontal roof supporting beams disposed in radiating relation from a common central point but terminating short of said point, a supporting post depending from each beam intermediate its ends, said beams in section each including a vertical web and a horizontal flange, and a central unit tying all the beams together at their inner end and including a plate having radial slots to receive the inner end portions of the beam webs and so that the corresponding flange portions then engage the outer face of the plate, and welding securing the plate and said flange portions together.

ARTHUR J. FISHER. 

